Stanford, Calif. – (December 5, 2025) – Behind hat tricks from
Luca Provenziani and
Andras Toth and a solid defensive effort, the fourth-seeded Fordham Rams defeated the San Jose State Spartans, 13-9, in the quarterfinals of the National Collegiate Water Polo Championship, held at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon.
The win advances Fordham (26-3) into the national semifinals for the second consecutive season on Saturday. afternoon
THE GAME
- Fordham opened the scoring with an extra-man goal by Luca Silvestri, but the Spartans responded with three straight markers for a 3-1 lead with 2:00 minutes left in the first quarter.
- The Rams answered with a late flurry, scoring three times before the end of the quarter with Gianni Farrugia netting two of the goals, while Marco Napolitano scored with four seconds left.
- The second quarter belonged to Luca Provenziani, as he netted all three Fordham goals in the frame to extend the lead to 7-4 by halftime.
- The teams played even in the third quarter with each squad picking up four tallies, but the period ended with two Rams excluded to start the fourth quarter.
- Fordham would kill off the 6-on-4 advantage to start the fourth quarter with no damage, keeping the momentum in its favor.
- San Jose State got the next goal to pull within two at 11-9, but Alessandro Salipante and Andras Totheach scored in the final three minutes to secure a 13-9 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Provenziani led the Rams with four goals, three assists, and three steals, while Toth netted three goals, two assists, two steals, and three blocks.
- Farrugia had two goals with Silvestri having a goal, two assists, and two steals.
- Salipante added a goal and three assists, while Balazs Berenyi and Napolitano had the remaining tallies.
- In net, Matthew Bonello DuPuis made six saves to go with an assist in the win.
WHO'S NEXT
- The Rams will see a familiar opponent in the national semifinal, as Fordham will take on top-seeded USC at 2:00 PM Pacific Time (5:00 PM Eastern).The two teams faced each other in last year's semifinal with USC earning the 18-16 decision in overtime.